NEWS & EVENTS - ACQUISITIONS
28 October 2005
South African Roll Out Is A Hat Trick For Gripen
Acquisitions
Saab and Gripen International Rolls Out the First Gripen for South Africa and Salutes its First Export customer It is difficult to overstate the importance of the roll-out of South Africa´s first Gripen. In November 1998 the South African Air F...
28 October 2005
SAAB rolls out first SAAF Gripen
Acquisitions
SAAB will today roll out the first production Gripen advanced light fighter for the SA Air Force at its Linkoping facility in central Sweden. South Africa has bought 28 of the aircraft, to be delivered from 2007 to 2012. The Gripen programme got unde...
19 October 2005
SAAF receives replacements for ageing fleet
Acquisitions
Bloemfontein - The South African Air Force received the first four of 30 new Agusta light utility helicopters (LUH) on Wednesday to replace its ageing Alouette III fleet.This is the first certified product to be taken into service by the SA National ...
14 October 2005
A new flight plan
Acquisitions
By Peter HoneyState and industry rally to the challenge of SA's manufacturing partnership with Airbus.South Africa's aerospace industry is heading for a renaissance, after gradually declining since it was orphaned by the death of apartheid-er...
7 October 2005
SA eyes unmanned-aircraft niche
Acquisitions
The South African Air Force (SAAF) hopes that South Africa will be able to recapture its place as a world leader in the development and operation of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs)."South Africa was a world leader in UAVs, technologically and opera...
24 September 2005
SAAF's Gripen fighter ready for flight trials
Acquisitions
BAE Systems and Saab have announced that production of the Gripen multirole fighter destined for the South African Air Force has been completed and that the aircraft is ready to move on to flight trials.The SAAF has ordered a small inventory of 19 si...
15 September 2005
Aussies develop Hawk simulator
Acquisitions
BAE Systems Australia has developed a simulator to support the South African Air Force (SAAF) Hawk Mk120 lead-in fighter training aircraft currently in production.Known as the operational flight trainer (OFT), the new simulator draws on the company&#...
11 September 2005
The Hawk has landed at AFB Makhado
Acquisitions
Another page in the history of the South African Air Force is how it can be described. The entry into Service of a new aircraft type is always a significant event and Friday 9 September 2005 was just such an occasion. After a wait of nearly two years...
24 August 2005
85 Combat Flying School Computerised Training Centre (CTC)
Acquisitions
The arrival of the Hawk Mk120 LIFT at AFB Makhado scheduled for August 2005 not only introduces a new aircraft into SAAF inventory, but also some of the most modern avionics. Sophisticated systems require understanding of complex systems and sophisti...
16 August 2005
Defence Airbus proving a burden: DA
Acquisitions
The Airbus deal, which will see South Africa's replacement of the Hercules aircraft with the A400M military training aircraft, is already proving to be "an enormous burden" says the DA. Noting an earlier response to his parliamentary qu...
15 August 2005
Lekota justifies spending R10bn on Airbus
Acquisitions
South Africa's Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has justified the expenditure of 10 billion rand on the new A400 military transport aircraft saying the Hercules C-130 aircraft currently in use was heading towards the end of its operational life - ...
2 July 2005
Lekota: SA was offered F16 jets in 1990s but sale was not possible
Acquisitions
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has confirmed that the US offered South Africa second-hand F16 fighter jets in the late 1990s but the that sale would not have been 'technically possible' at the time.In a written reply toa parliamentary questi...
1 July 2005
First SA Gripens only months away
Acquisitions
The first Saab Gripen advanced multirole fighter for the South African Air Force (SAAF) should be completed and rolled out in the last quarter of this year and is scheduled to make its first flight this November."This aircraft is in final assemb...
30 June 2005
A-400M contract signed
Acquisitions
It was reported on SAAF News that the contract to acquire the A-400M's was awarded to Airbus by Armscor on 30 June 2005. The contract value is R7 438 200 001.88.The initial order is for 8 aircrat, with another six on option....
24 May 2005
New airbus 'for peacekeeping'
Acquisitions
Deflecting criticism of the government's new multimillion-rand aircraft acquisition as "myopic", Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the planes were vital for peacekeeping operations. "This criticism fails to take account of the f...
1 May 2005
Going To The Tanker
Acquisitions
Gripen is cleared for air-to-air refuelling after a successful joint Swedish and South African test program. Air-to-Air refuelling (AAR) is one of the key capabilities available to Gripen export customers and for Sweden's own JAS 39C/D aircraft. ...
28 April 2005
SA joins Airbus' A400M plan
Acquisitions
Government signed a contract with Airbus Military on Thursday, under which South Africa will become a partner in the A400M airlifter programme and acquire at least eight of the transport aircraft. This confirmed the confidence placed in the programme...
25 April 2005
SA moves closer to Airbus deal
Acquisitions
South Africa is to move closer to purchasing between eight and 14 A400M military transport aircraft this week by signing a further agreement with Airbus to that effect. SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has confirmed the agreement w...
23 April 2005
How underfunding is hurting SA Air Force
Acquisitions
Media reports that underfunding of the South African Air Force (SAAF) has caused the service to run down are correct, SAAF chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano said on Friday."In view of recent media reports and in line with SAAF Vision 2012, ...
13 April 2005
A-Darter preferred option for Gripen
Acquisitions
The South African Air Force (SAAF) will arm its future Gripen multirole fighters with the Denel Aerospace A-Darter (Agile Darter) close-range air-to-air missile if its development can be completed in time, according to SAAF chief Lieutenant General C...
5 April 2005
Arms deal - Those Hawk jets cost us double
Acquisitions
"In a new bombshell over South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal it has emerged that the government paid more than double for its Hawk/Gripen fighter-trainer jets - they cost R10 billion - than the price of Italian jets preferred by defen...
5 April 2005
SAAF Chief appears to pour cold water on military Airbus plans
Acquisitions
New SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has seemingly poured cold water on South Africa's plans to purchase Airbus Military's A400M. Meeting the press during a visit by US Third Air Force commander Major-General Michael Gould,...
31 March 2005
SAAF Boeing 707 Re-fuelling Tanker Arrives in Sweden for Gripen Trials
Acquisitions
Saturday 19 March saw the arrival of a South African Air Force (SAAF) Boeing 707 re-fuelling tanker aircraft, at Saab's facility in Linköping, Sweden.After a 15 hour flight from South Africa, the tanker and its team of 20 SAAF aircrew and gr...
18 March 2005
Defence Dept lacks capacity to use arms deal hardware: DA
Acquisitions
The Democratic Alliance expressed its opinion on Thursday last week that the South African National Defence Force does not have the capacity to use the new military hardware being acquired. "The (defence force) is beginning to feel the consequen...
9 March 2005
Lekota defends aircraft deal
Acquisitions
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has defended government's green light to the procurement of military transport aircraft from Europe's Airbus Military. He divulged that South Africa would have a 5% stake in the A400M programme with spin-offs f...
South African Roll Out Is A Hat Trick For Gripen
Acquisitions
Saab and Gripen International Rolls Out the First Gripen for South Africa and Salutes its First Export customer It is difficult to overstate the importance of the roll-out of South Africa´s first Gripen. In November 1998 the South African Air F...
SAAB rolls out first SAAF Gripen
Acquisitions
SAAB will today roll out the first production Gripen advanced light fighter for the SA Air Force at its Linkoping facility in central Sweden. South Africa has bought 28 of the aircraft, to be delivered from 2007 to 2012. The Gripen programme got unde...
SAAF receives replacements for ageing fleet
Acquisitions
Bloemfontein - The South African Air Force received the first four of 30 new Agusta light utility helicopters (LUH) on Wednesday to replace its ageing Alouette III fleet.This is the first certified product to be taken into service by the SA National ...
A new flight plan
Acquisitions
By Peter HoneyState and industry rally to the challenge of SA's manufacturing partnership with Airbus.South Africa's aerospace industry is heading for a renaissance, after gradually declining since it was orphaned by the death of apartheid-er...
SA eyes unmanned-aircraft niche
Acquisitions
The South African Air Force (SAAF) hopes that South Africa will be able to recapture its place as a world leader in the development and operation of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs)."South Africa was a world leader in UAVs, technologically and opera...
SAAF's Gripen fighter ready for flight trials
Acquisitions
BAE Systems and Saab have announced that production of the Gripen multirole fighter destined for the South African Air Force has been completed and that the aircraft is ready to move on to flight trials.The SAAF has ordered a small inventory of 19 si...
Aussies develop Hawk simulator
Acquisitions
BAE Systems Australia has developed a simulator to support the South African Air Force (SAAF) Hawk Mk120 lead-in fighter training aircraft currently in production.Known as the operational flight trainer (OFT), the new simulator draws on the company&#...
The Hawk has landed at AFB Makhado
Acquisitions
Another page in the history of the South African Air Force is how it can be described. The entry into Service of a new aircraft type is always a significant event and Friday 9 September 2005 was just such an occasion. After a wait of nearly two years...
85 Combat Flying School Computerised Training Centre (CTC)
Acquisitions
The arrival of the Hawk Mk120 LIFT at AFB Makhado scheduled for August 2005 not only introduces a new aircraft into SAAF inventory, but also some of the most modern avionics. Sophisticated systems require understanding of complex systems and sophisti...
Defence Airbus proving a burden: DA
Acquisitions
The Airbus deal, which will see South Africa's replacement of the Hercules aircraft with the A400M military training aircraft, is already proving to be "an enormous burden" says the DA. Noting an earlier response to his parliamentary qu...
Lekota justifies spending R10bn on Airbus
Acquisitions
South Africa's Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has justified the expenditure of 10 billion rand on the new A400 military transport aircraft saying the Hercules C-130 aircraft currently in use was heading towards the end of its operational life - ...
Lekota: SA was offered F16 jets in 1990s but sale was not possible
Acquisitions
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has confirmed that the US offered South Africa second-hand F16 fighter jets in the late 1990s but the that sale would not have been 'technically possible' at the time.In a written reply toa parliamentary questi...
First SA Gripens only months away
Acquisitions
The first Saab Gripen advanced multirole fighter for the South African Air Force (SAAF) should be completed and rolled out in the last quarter of this year and is scheduled to make its first flight this November."This aircraft is in final assemb...
A-400M contract signed
Acquisitions
It was reported on SAAF News that the contract to acquire the A-400M's was awarded to Airbus by Armscor on 30 June 2005. The contract value is R7 438 200 001.88.The initial order is for 8 aircrat, with another six on option....
New airbus 'for peacekeeping'
Acquisitions
Deflecting criticism of the government's new multimillion-rand aircraft acquisition as "myopic", Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota said the planes were vital for peacekeeping operations. "This criticism fails to take account of the f...
Going To The Tanker
Acquisitions
Gripen is cleared for air-to-air refuelling after a successful joint Swedish and South African test program. Air-to-Air refuelling (AAR) is one of the key capabilities available to Gripen export customers and for Sweden's own JAS 39C/D aircraft. ...
SA joins Airbus' A400M plan
Acquisitions
Government signed a contract with Airbus Military on Thursday, under which South Africa will become a partner in the A400M airlifter programme and acquire at least eight of the transport aircraft. This confirmed the confidence placed in the programme...
SA moves closer to Airbus deal
Acquisitions
South Africa is to move closer to purchasing between eight and 14 A400M military transport aircraft this week by signing a further agreement with Airbus to that effect. SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has confirmed the agreement w...
How underfunding is hurting SA Air Force
Acquisitions
Media reports that underfunding of the South African Air Force (SAAF) has caused the service to run down are correct, SAAF chief Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano said on Friday."In view of recent media reports and in line with SAAF Vision 2012, ...
A-Darter preferred option for Gripen
Acquisitions
The South African Air Force (SAAF) will arm its future Gripen multirole fighters with the Denel Aerospace A-Darter (Agile Darter) close-range air-to-air missile if its development can be completed in time, according to SAAF chief Lieutenant General C...
Arms deal - Those Hawk jets cost us double
Acquisitions
"In a new bombshell over South Africa's multibillion-rand arms deal it has emerged that the government paid more than double for its Hawk/Gripen fighter-trainer jets - they cost R10 billion - than the price of Italian jets preferred by defen...
SAAF Chief appears to pour cold water on military Airbus plans
Acquisitions
New SA Air Force chief Lieutenant-General Carlo Gagiano has seemingly poured cold water on South Africa's plans to purchase Airbus Military's A400M. Meeting the press during a visit by US Third Air Force commander Major-General Michael Gould,...
SAAF Boeing 707 Re-fuelling Tanker Arrives in Sweden for Gripen Trials
Acquisitions
Saturday 19 March saw the arrival of a South African Air Force (SAAF) Boeing 707 re-fuelling tanker aircraft, at Saab's facility in Linköping, Sweden.After a 15 hour flight from South Africa, the tanker and its team of 20 SAAF aircrew and gr...
Defence Dept lacks capacity to use arms deal hardware: DA
Acquisitions
The Democratic Alliance expressed its opinion on Thursday last week that the South African National Defence Force does not have the capacity to use the new military hardware being acquired. "The (defence force) is beginning to feel the consequen...
Lekota defends aircraft deal
Acquisitions
Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota has defended government's green light to the procurement of military transport aircraft from Europe's Airbus Military. He divulged that South Africa would have a 5% stake in the A400M programme with spin-offs f...
